NAME

       debget - download source and binary Debian packages

SYNOPSIS

       debget [switch]... { package | section/package | file.dsc | file.deb }...

DESCRIPTION

       debget downloads source and binary Debian packages by name and optionally unpacks, compiles and installs
       them.  The default behavior is to download the source for packages, to unpack and build *.dsc files and
       to install *.deb files.  For detailed defaults on FTP server names and such run "debget --help".

       debget doesn't require a local copy of the Packages files, instead it lists directories on the FTP site
       to find out what versions are available.

       Non-switch arguments are *.dsc files, *.deb files, and package names or section/package, eg base/dpkg or
       non-free/games/quake2.  There are two cases in which you've got to specify the section:

       -   Information about the package isn't in the local available file (as shown by "dpkg --print-avail"),
           or the information there is wrong.

       -   You're downloading a source package which doesn't generate a binary package of the same name.
           Normally debget infers the correct source package to download based on the "dpkg --print-avail"
           output.  (Eg, if you say to download the source for perl-base, it will really download the perl
           sources.)  This isn't possible if the source package doesn't have an available file entry (which is
           the case when the source package doesn't generate a binary package of the same name).  In this case
           debget will use the section for the package which you specified (perl-base in this case).  If the
           section for that package isn't available, or if it's not the same as the section for the source
           package, you have to specify the section yourself.

       To handle either of these cases, specify the package with the section prepended, as it would appear in
       the available file.  Eg, base/dpkg or non-free/games/quake2.

OPTIONS

       --arch arch
           Specify the installation architecture (used to find binary packages).  The default is the output of
           "dpkg --print-architecture".

       -b, --binary
           Download binary packages.  The default is not to download them.

       -B, --nobinary
           Don't download binary packages.  This is the default.

       -u, --build
           Build downloaded source packages.  This implies --unpack.  --build is turned off by default, but it
           is turned on if you specify any *.dsc or *.deb files on the command line.

       --debug
           Turn debugging on.  Specify multiple times for more detail.

       --dir dir
           Specify the path to the top of the Debian hierarchy on the primary FTP server.

       -d dist, --dist dist
           Specify the distribution from which to download packages.  The default is unstable.  You can use the
           name of any subdirectory in the dists directory in the Debian archive, or experimental (which is
           special-cased).

       --help
           Show the usage message and die.

       -h host, --host host
           Specify the host name of the primary FTP server.

       -i, --install
           Install binary packages.  This turns on --unpack and --build, so specifying it will cause debget to
           install just about everything you mention on the command line.  Packages will be downloaded,
           unpacked, built, and installed, *.dsc files will be unpacked, built, and installed, and *.deb files
           will be installed.

       -n, --no
           Go through the motions, but don't actually download any packages.

       -f, --no-config
           Don't process either /etc/debget.rc or ~/.debget.rc.

       --no-download-re re
           Don't download files whose name match the Perl regexp re.  This option can be specified multiple
           times.

       --no-download-tar
           Don't download *.tar.gz files.  This is normally used when downloading sources, when specified you'll
           just fetch the *.diff.gz and *.dsc files.

       --no-dscverify
           Don't run dscverify before unpacking sources.  dscverify checks that the .dsc file is signed by a
           Debian developer and that the MD5 sums and file sizes given in it match the files about to be
           unpacked.  These are good things, so debget will try to run dscverify by default.  The dscverify
           program is in the devscripts package.

       -F, --no-user-config
           Don't process ~/.debget.rc.

       --non-us-dir dir
           Specify the path to the top of the Debian hierarchy for non-US packages.

       -H host, --non-us-host host
           Specify the host name of the non-US FTP server.

       -r cmd, --root-build cmd
           Use cmd to become root when building a package from source.  The default is the first of fakeroot,
           sudo, super, or su which is present on the system.

       -R cmd, --root-install cmd
           Use cmd to become root when installing a package.  The default is what you gave for --root-build if
           you specified anything, otherwise the first of sudo, super, or su which is present on the system.

       -s, --source
           Download source packages.  This is the default.

       -S, --nosource
           Don't download source packages.  The default is to download them.

       --unpack
           Unpack downloaded source packages.

       -v, --verbose
           Be verbose.

       --version
           Print the version number and exit.

CONFIGURATION FILES

       The default behavior of debget can be modified by the configuration files /etc/debget.rc and ~/.debget.rc
       (unless modified by the -f or -F switches).  These files are processed as Perl code.  They can set these
       variables to control the program (with their corresponding switches):

       $O{'arch'}
           --arch

       $O{'binary'}
           --binary, boolean

       "{$O{'build'}"
           --build, boolean

       $O{'debug'}
           --debug, integer

       $O{'dir'}
           --dir

       $O{'dist'}
           --dist

       $O{'host'}
           --host

       $O{'install'}
           --install, boolean

       $O{'no'}
           --no, boolean

       $O{'no-config'}
           --no-config, boolean

       $O{'no-download-re'}
           --no-download-re, array reference

       $O{'no-download-tar'}
           --no-download-tar, boolean

       $O{'no-dscverify'}
           --no-dscverify, boolean

       $O{'no-user-config'}
           --no-user-config, boolean

       $O{'non-us-dir'}
           --non-us-dir

       $O{'non-us-host'}
           --non-us-host

       $O{'root-build'}
           --root-build

       $O{'root-install'}
           --root-install

       $O{'source'}
           --source, boolean

       $O{'unpack'}
           --unpack, boolean

       $O{'verbose'}
           --verbose, boolean

       Here's an example configuration file:

           $O{'host'} = 'debian.terrabox.com';
           $O{'verbose'} = 1;

BUGS

       If you specify --install all produced binary packages will be installed, even ones you didn't specify on
       the command line.  Eg, if you run "debget --install ssh" it will install both ssh and ssh-askpass.

       I'd like to add a --clean switch which will make the program remove intermediate files.

       See /usr/share/doc/debget/README.Debian if your transfers are failing because you need to use passive FTP
       or a proxy.

SEE ALSO

       dselect(8), apt-get(8)

AVAILABILITY

       The code is licensed under the GNU GPL and distributed as part of Debian.

AUTHOR

       Roderick Schertler <roderick@argon.org>